Apparatus for preparing pads for shoes



June 30, 1942. G. s; lL|FF 2,288,456

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING PADS FOR SHOES 7 Filed March 21, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR; Gsoeci S. 12mg. BY

7 A JTMORNEYS.

June 30, 1942. s, |FF v 2,288,456

APPARATUS FOR PREPARING PADS FOR SHOES Filed March 21, 1941 2 Sheets$heet 2 1 N V EN TOR E'ORGE' S .22 7 B Y I ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED STATPEEi OFFICE .APPARATUS FOR PREPARING PADS FOR SHOES 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and particularly to a method and apparatus for preparing cushioning pads to be interposed between the shoe upper and the outsole. Such pads are ordinarily made of a cushioning material such as felt, cork, sisal, fiber or other resilient composition, rubber, and in some cases solid wood is employed in the heel portion of the pad. Such pads may have a constant thickness throughout from toe to heel, they may be made in toe portions or heel portions only, or they may be made in the form of a midsole with a built in heel raise such as described in the U. Patent of William H. Joyce, Jr., No, 2,067,963. The pads with which I am here concerned have an edge covering of flexible leather, fabric, rubber, or other sheet material serving the double purpose of finishing and decorating the raw edges of the cushioning material or wood and serving to aid in retaining the shape of the pad'and in securing it to the other associated parts of the shoe.

For the edge binding or covering one or more strips of the selected material wide enough to provide inturned edges on the upper and lower surfaces of the cushioning element are secured to the said cushioning element. This has previously been done either by cementing by hand or by sewing. I have found that it is desirable to both cement and sew the edge covering to the cushioning element, because the pad is subjected to severe strains and stresses in the use of theshoe.

It is necessary also to roughen the inturned edges of the covering material if smooth or glazed in order for cement applied thereto to stick when the pad is assembled between the upper and the outsole for the finished shoe. I have found that if such roughing is done after stitching the covering to the cushioning elements the thread used for the stitching is often broken and if as is customary a chain stitch is used this results in the entire stitching becoming loosened. On the other hand if a cement attachment only is used for securing the edge covering to the cushioning element it has been found that there is a tendency for the covering to become loosened and weaken the shoe when subjected to hard wear.

I have discovered that the ideal method for preparing a pad, and by pad I mean either a toe pad or a heel wedge or a composite of both, is to first cement the edge covering to the cushioning element, next to roughen the edges of the covering overlying the top and bottom portions of the cushioning element in order to prepare them for later cementing operations, and third to reinforce the assembly by stitching the edge covering to the cushioning element.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a method of the character described whereby shoe pads may be prepared by first cementing edge coverings on the cushioning or filler element of the pad, then roughening the edges of the covering material where it is exposed over the upper and lower parts of the cushioning element, and then stitching through the roughened portions of the covering element and the cushioning element, whereby the greatest unitary strength of the pad may be achieved without any liability ofbreaking the stitches by subsequent operations.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel apparatus for wiping the heel and toe edge coverings of the pad. Within my experience the wiping of the heel and toe portions of the cemented pad covering by hand has been unsatisfactory because the edges turned over and under the cushioning element should be drawn in tightly and also pressed down hard and smoothly. Prior to my invention of the heel and toe wiping device illustrated here I have not been aware of any device suitable for performing this particular operation.

It is a further object of my invention to provide heel and toe wipers which are adjustable to pads of varying thickness, and in which the tension may be varied according to the materials being used.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my heel wiping device with a shoe pad in starting position for the wiping operation.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same device taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the shoe pad further advanced into the device.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the shoe pad in the position it occupies at the end of the heel wiping operation.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the toe wiping device with the pad shown in the starting position for the toe wiping operation.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the toe wiping device.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the pad at the end of the toe wiping operation.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 6 with the pad shown in the same position as it occupies in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a completed shoe pad made according to my method.

As an example of my method and in illustrating the use of my apparatus I will describe the preparation of a pad or midsole extending the full length of the shoe and incorporating a heel raise or lift.

A cushioning or filler element is here shown as an example in the form of a felt pad having a toe portion II of substantially constant thickness and a heel section l2 which incorporates a tapered heel lift. It does not matter in. the present invention whether the cushioning element or filler I0 is of a single piece or built up of two or more pieces.

A strip of sheet material I3 is used to cover the edge of the toe section II and a strip M of similar or contrasting material, as desired, is used to cover the edge of the heel section l2. One piece may be used to enclose the entire pad but it is easier to work with two. The sheet material may be flexible leather, fabric, rubber, or some other material the outer slnface of which is preferably finished in a decorative color, pattern or design. The example to which. we will refer in this description is soft flexible leather.

Cement may be first applied in any desired. manner around the outer edge l5 of the pad l0 and on the marginal upper and lower surfaces of the pad extending about one half inch in from the edge. Cement should also be applied to the inner surface of the strips l3 and I l. The cement used is preferably latex although it is possible to use other kinds of adhesive.

When two strips are used it is preferable to first put on and wipe in the heel strip [4.

The heel strip I4 is stretched around the heel portion |2 by hand and the edges of the strip are ressed down by hand along the sides. The edges of the strip at the end of the pad are then bent over and wiped in by means of the heel wiper illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

The heel wiper, which may be mounted on a bench or table 29, comprises, a pair of upper and lower pressure members 2| and 22 spaced at their anchored end by a block 23 and bolted to the table by a bolt 24 which passes through both of the pressure members and the block. Of course other suitable means of mounting the pressure members and block may be employed.

The block 23 is preferably tapered forwardly on the upper surface as shown to provide for a converging of the pressure members 2| and 22, by the inclination of the upper member 2|.

The pressure members 2| and 22 are rectangular plates preferably having some resiliency or spring characteristics and are suitable if made of wood, metal, or any other material having the necessary quality.

In addition to the clamping effected by the bolt 24 the pressural tension of the pressure members 2| and 22 may be adjusted by one or a pair of tensioning devices 25 which includes a bolt 26, a compression spring 21, and a thumb nut 28. Other suitable forms of tensioning devices may be employed, and of course the tensioning device may be entirely omitted if the work to be done approximately fits the wiping device as assembled; or different adjustments may be obtained in a less convenient but equivalent manner by substituting blocks 23 of different thicknesses or with different tapered pitches, or both. The tension of the pressure plates should be such that the normal separation at the forward ends of the plates is slightly less than the thickness of the heel or toe to be wiped.

The pressure plates 2| and 22 are formed with similar curved openings 39 with edges which are beveled inwardly as at 3|.

The heel of the partly prepared pad as described is inserted between the forward end of the plates and pushed inwardly between the plates. It is desirable while pushing the pad between the plates to give it a horizontal twisting motion the better to draw in the edges of the covering strip l4. It will be noted that the depth and curvature of the openings 30 is such that the mouth 32 is narrower than the heel at the widest part of the heel, the effect being for the pressure plates to first engage the heel at a distance from the: end.

As the heel is pushed inwardly between the pressure plates, the engagement of the edges 3| of these plates toward the forward end with the pad continues to maintain the leathe strips stretched tightly around the cushioning element and at the same time wipes in the overlying edges of the strip and presses these edges substantially flat against the upper and lower surface of the cushion. The inclination or converging of the pressure plates will substantially follow the taper of the heel lift if the taper commences at the extreme end of the heel, and in other circumstances provides for a substantial area of contact of the pressure plates with the pad as the plates are sprung under the force of inserting the pads. Preferably the lower plate may be horizontal and the inclination all occur in the upper plate as the heel lift is normally made fiat on the bottom and with a taper on the upper face.

When the heel has been wiped, the cushioning element, now properly covered by the heel strip, is passed along for a similar operation in mounting and wiping in the toe strip l3.

The edge covering for the toe is placed on by hand with the ends slightly overlapping the forward ends of the heel covering, is pressed down by hand along the sides, and the toe end wiped in in the same manner as the heel was wiped, employing the toe wiping device shown in Figures 4 to 7. Similar reference numerals in these figures identify parts similar to those in the heel Wiper. The difference is in the thickness of the block 23 and the consequent separation of the pressure plates.

The covered midsoles are then passed on and the overlying edges of the covers roughened by any suitable means such as an abrasive wheel or wire brush.

The next step in the method is to stitch through the overlying edges and the cushioning element or filler and the completed midsole as it appears in Figure 8 is then ready to be cemented and assembled with an upper and outsole. If a solid wooden block is employed as the heel portion or lift, the stitching through that portion may be omitted.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent methods and structures.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: spaced plates adapted to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates.

2. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: a spacing block, and upper and lower friction plates spaced apart by the block to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates.

3. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: spaced plates mounted on a supporting member at one end and adapted to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates.

4. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: spaced plates secured together at and adapted to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates.

5. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: spaced plates adapted to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates, said plates being formed wtih complementary end recesses providing for initial engagement of the plates with the pad at a distance from the end of the pad, and subsequent engagement of the plates with the extreme end of the pad.

6. A device as described in claim 5 in which the edges of the recesses are bevelled to facilitate inserting the pad.

7. A heel or toe wiping device for wiping an edge covering on a shoe pad including a filler comprising: spaced plates adapted to frictionally engage the upper and lower surfaces of the pad to stretch and press overlying edges of the covering material to the upper and lower surfaces of the pad filler, at least one of said plates being adapted to yield under tension as the pad is forced between the plates, said plates being bevelled at the end initially engaged by the pad to facilitate inserting the pad.

GEORGE S. ILIFF. 

